Hand cultivating and weeding tool



Aug. 3, 1948. L. BVMILLER HAND cumxvume AND WEEDING TOOL Filed July 21, 1945 PIC-3.3

FIG. 2

Q INVENTOR. 6 m

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 3, 1948 Levi BgMillenlancaster Township, 'Lancas'terfiounty, Pa.

Application: Jilly 21, 1945, Fse'rial No- 6063 7 6 .5 Claims. .1 Myinvention relates to cultivators. .More particularly, itis concerned witheultivatorsof the type which are manually. operated, although the invention is :not so restricted.

The; ordinary hoewhich has its bladeinaygenerally vertical positionis well adapted for soil transfer; and it held ln-a substantially horizontal positionwwill-effectively cut oil weeds below the upper surface of the soil. The hoe,.however, does not ilm the soil or break up the uppericrust. Additionally, it is effective only with a pulling motion and must be lifted and replaced in the soil at each stroke. There are many-so-called scuffle hoes on theflmarket, and they are best p ed for-cutting weeds below the surface and. may be operated in either a pushing orlpulling motion, but all these hoes are without'provision for depth-control, or are ineffective for cutting to any substantial depth below thesurface. "Additionally, they rdosnot line the soil to any extent below the surface and they do noteven efiectively break up the surface crust. There are-also shovel harrow type cultivators having a number of prongs,- broadened-at the bottom, and while these are veryeffective forfiningthe soi1:and forloosening weeds, they are not effective, however, for cutting ofi -weeds-or foruprooting those weeds which..maybe .disposedbetween the teeth. As. a consequence, -.if..-the soil is wetor becomes wet shortly after cultivation, the weeds have a tendencyto: reestablish themselves and are notdestroyed. Cutting oil the tops of theweeds from the roots isclecidedly preferredto bodily tearing out thewhole weed -and:-permittingit to rest. on

theground where. rootgrowth. .may .be -reestab i-The-principal object. ofsny invention is to providea cultivator which-is capable vof;lperforming aegreat variety of tasks with good control. and effectiveness, while being. easy. and convenient to operate. For examplaby myinvention there-is combined. in; aIsin-g'leinstrument. elements which willperiormthe tunctions of asculile hoe,a shovel harrow. type. cultivator, and a vflatlcila'ded .garlden hoe; thus, the same. tool may be used for. the soil fining ofaQshovelharrow type cultivator, the weedciittingof. a scuflle'hoaor the soil: trans- "ferrenceg'ge'nerally accomplished byluse of a hoe, as in "h'illii'ig-iiii plant's or,.garden rows. JAls'o, a combination of these functions maybe obtained "simultaneously.

.Another. object i's' tolprovide a-cultivator effectlve for below "the surface "fining, which is .provided'withmeans to control the depth of out or bite takenbythe cultivator. jIn weed removal between rows. 'neously ebtaln za fining action onthe soil between between plant rows; 'for example, it is-idesirable to cut off the weeds some distance below'the'suria'ce of the :soil; but it is-essential to controlr-the depth of cut to avoid dam-age to plant roots-which may spread out "below thesurface into .the spaee It. is "also desirable to simultathe rows to a substantialdepthtoprovide adust mulch and also to. permit rapid -penetra-tion-.-o-f moisture irornthe-suriace tothe plant roots and for-aeration.

Another 'object is to-provi-de acultivator which willbe operative w-ith either a pulling or a pushing motion to perform the functions of weedcut'tin-g and soil fining. This. makes possible the. usewof the tool asla-scu-file-hoe with the added advantage hoe.

Otherobjects ofmy inventionuwill become apparent upon consideration of.tlieidetaileddescription-of-the .inventionwhich follows.

.In orderthatmy invention'may be more readily ,understcodfi shall describe the same in conjunctionwi-ththe attached drawing, in which:

-Figure 1..is-.a,.perspective View of thedevi'ce;

Figure 2is a-sectional view. taken on theline lI- II ofliigure 1, illustrating the relative inclination of the cuttin blades and teeth and Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on'theline III-.-III-.of =Figure 1, illustrating the sharpened edges of one of the rearblades of the cultivator.

The-cultivator may be forme'd irom a sheet metalstampingland may be suitablyljoinedby welding, brazing, riveting. or otherwise. "It consists of a horizontal top supporting member 2 from which extend vertical blades 3 and Adispesd at the/forward portion of..the cultivator andlccn respondinglverticallblades'iand-'6 disposed at' the rearlportion thereof. IT-he blades "3 and 4 arecbn- .n-ecteibywafl inclined blade'l which is generally in. apl-ane normalto the blades -3...and l. 'Ihe blade l is preferably integral with the blades '3 and l-,.beingl formed. from inwardly bent. portions of each, joinedto'gether at the centerby welding as indicated at? in Figure 1. The horizontal bladel is inclined forwardly. andidownwardly as indicated. in Fi-gureL 2 to provideforbe1ow=-the surface cultivation as will be. more fully. herein- .a'fter described. Theahgle .of. inclination is not critical but'for best results I have found that. the blade should extend forwardly and. downwardly at an angle between about-(15 deg-reesl and-25 degrees with respect tola line Lclrawn parallel to thetop supporting memberfz. Inf'thee'mbbdt ment illustrated, the blades 3, 4, and 'l constitute with the top 2 a closed frame which is of generally square outline. Teeth may be provided on the blade 7, and these preferably are inclined at the same angle as the blade 1, although they may have a somewhat greater or lesser angle if desired. While two teeth 9 and I!) have been shown in the drawing, the number of teeth may be varied or they may be entirely eliminated, if desired. The teeth are to assist in soil fining and I prefer to incorporate them. The leading edge H of the blade I and the edges l2 and i3 of the teeth 9 and I are preferably sharpened so as to make easy the severance of weeds and the breaking up of surface crusts.

The rear vertical blades and 5 are formed in the same manner as the forward blades 3 and 4 and as indicated in Figure 1 are joined together to provide a horizontal blade [4 complementary to the forward horizontal blade 1. A supplemental fining blade [5 which is vertically disposed with respect to the blade l4 may be connected between the upper supporting element 2 and the blade M'by welding as indicated at It in Figure 1. This welded joint 16 may also serve to secure the portions which constitute the blade l4 and will form a structurally strong and rigid unit. The upper portion of the blade l5 may be welded, riveted, or otherwise secured to the upper supporting element 2. The blades 5 and 6 are so shaped that with the upper supporting portion 2 they form a member which is rectangular in outline. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the height from the top 2 to the blade [4 is about the same as that from the top 2 to the blade 1, but the width of the cultivator in the rear portion between the blades 5 and 6 is substantially greater than the width of the forward portion between the blades 3 and 4. Thus, when the tool is drawn or pushed through the soil an excellent fining action is secured by the blades 3, 4, 5, 6, and 15, each of which is disposed in a substantially vertical plane and each being spaced laterally from the other. If desired more than one auxiliary fining blade I5 may be provided in either the back or front portion of the cultivator. This will depend of course upon the size of the tool, whether it be operated by hand, the types of soil in which it will be used, and other variable factors.

The blade I4 is generally arcuate in crosssection as indicated in Figure 2, and is provided with integral teeth I! and I8. Two teeth have been shown but a greater or lesser number may be employed as previously explained in connection with the blade .1.

The leading edge IQ of the blade l4 and the edges 20 and 2| 0f the teeth IT and [8 may be sharpened as indicated in Figure 2. The trailing edge 22 of the blade {4 which constitutes the leading edge of the blade when the cultivator is pushed, may likewise be sharpened and if desired, the edges 23, '24, 25, and 2B of the blades and upper supporting element 2 may also be sharpened in the event the cultivator is to be used for soil fining by an up and down chopping motion which will be described.

It will be observed that the front blade I is spaced from the rear blade M a substantial distance and the opening between the two blades is unobstructed. This permits the blade 1 to penetrate easily below the upper surface of the soil and is also important in depth control, as will be more fully brought out.

. In order to provide for manual operation of the device, a handle socket 21 is provided, but a handle has not been shown in Figure 1.

Reenforcing ribs and gussets may be provided wherever necessary to strengthen the cultivator, but the size, shape, and location of such elements will depend upon the size and type of cultivator and its intended use.

The manner in which depth control is effected will now be described. When the cultivator is pulled through the earth by its handle, the teeth 9 and I0 first engage the surface of the soil and, being inclined downwardly, impart a downward thrust component which causes a digging action to take place. This brings the blade 1 into engagement with the soil and, since it too is inclined downwardly, it exerts a similar thrust. Downward motion below the soil surface continues and is unobstructed until the blade M and its teeth I! and I8 engage the soil surface. This engagement is determined to a great extent by the angle at which the handle is held as the forward motion is effected. The blade [4 being spaced to the rear of the blade 1' permits it to enter the earth freely and since the blade 7 is relatively sharp this is readily effected even though hard crusts be encountered. Once the blade 7 has been inserted through the upper crust, it thereafter moves below the surface of the coil. The blade [4 is preferably arcuate and, therefore, has an average slope which is approximately zero. When the blade l4 comes into contact with the earth it serves to retard or control the downward thrust or digging action of the forward blade 1. The teeth H and [8 may be curved or inclined but preferably are straight and disposed at the same angle as the blade 7 and the teeth 9 and ID. The teeth in the embodiment illustrated constitute a minor portion of the surface area of the blade l4 and, therefore, may be disposed at any desired angle for best fining results. Good results are obtained with the teeth disposed as shown in Figure 2.

The relationship between the front digging blade and rear depth control blade must be such that the digging blade will have a downward angle of inclination, in the direction of movement when measured from a line drawn parallel with the horizontally disposed top 2 of the cultivator, greater than that of the control blade, which may be inclined downwardly from such line a lesser degree than the digging blade or may be inclined upwardly therefrom. By the recitation in the claims that the digging blade has a greater downward inclination in the direction of movement than that of the depth control blade, I intend to include any of the conditions just expressed. I have obtained exceptionally good results with the blade 1 at an angle of inclination between 15 and 25 degrees as mentioned previously and the control blade l4 substantially horizontal. The control blade '14 may have a downward inclination from 0 to about 10 degrees, or may, in fact, be upwardly inclined from 0 to about 10 degrees. I do not wish to be restricted to any degree of angularity.

The retardation by the blade M of the downward thrust or digging action of the blade 1 is not great when working in light, open surface soil, free of crust, but as the cultivator gets below the surface and into contact with firmer soil the control is obviously more effective. The control of the depth of cut of the cultivator may be kept substantially uniform by simply maintaining the handle at a substantially uniform angle and applying a generally constant pressure.

.The; cultivator, maytbeaoperated zbyccontinuously pulling-it throughithe 75011, .or byza strokingaction as withza; garden. hoe, .iexoept :that much larger sweep may 'be effected on seach-irstroke because in .thiSlpOSltlOnthG eultivatondoeszvery little,:if any,

soilrtransferrence.

LFromithis idescription :it will be .olear :that the cultivator may be pulled by a horse n01 tractor withequally -good results. It'also maybe at.- tached toa L'hi-ghor low wheeled hand garden icultivator which' is-pushed. Inallssuch instances, of course, the direction of movement of the cultivator will be in the direction of the teeth or inclination of the :blade :In the cultivator shownin -the drawing, provision ismade -toenact-cultivation, that is weed removal, soil fining,- -etc., upon either a pushing or pulling motion so that'the devlcemay be utilized in :much the samemanner :as a "scuffle hoe. A reciprocatory'pus'hingand pulling motion is easy and convenient, requires noliftin'g of the tool, and with-my cultivator produces not only weed severance, butsoil finlngisaccomplishd as well. This is-effected in the "following manner.

VVhen the cultivator is pushed, the downward slope of what is now the leading-edge22 of the rear'bladel i digs-down to a, certain extent while the upward s'lope'of the'oppositely curved portion "of the blade and the inclinedteeth Hand I'll tend to retard the downward thrustand provide some measure of depth control. This is augmented by theupward inclination, in the direction of travel of the tool when.,pushed,-of.the blade I and its teeth 9 and Hi. "Thus, depth control is obtained in much the same manneras when thecultivator is pulled. It should be noted thatiwhen the cultivator is pushed and the blade I4 .is the digging blade, the control blade "i is not at a substantially zeroangle, but is actually upwardly inclined in thedirection .of movement. In other words, the angle of downward inclination of the digging blade is greater than thecontrolling blade.

The teeth 9, I0, I1, and I8 as well as the vertica lly 'disposedbladest, 4,'%5, 6,:and l5=serVe as soil finers. "Their-fining effect is enhanced if the cultivator is given a slightlateral movement as it is oscillated, for the flat surfaces of the blades which are vertically disposed will thereby be brought'into play.

I wish to make clear that the'average downward slope of the blade I4 in the direction of movement when being pushed may be substantially less than the downward slope of the blade 1 when pulled for when the cultivator is pushed, the handle being disposed a substantial distance above the blade 14 creates a downward force component tending to cause the teeth to dig in; whereas, when the cultivator is pulled there is an upward component and this tends to compensate for the downward thrust of the blade "I and the teeth 9 and I0. By reducing the inclination of the blade i l, or by making it slightly curved as shown, a substantially universal depth control is possible without difiiculty whether the cultivator be pushed or pulled or oscillated. Very little experience in the operation of the cultivator will be necessary, for by proper correlation of the position of the handle with respect to the depth of cut desired, the operator may obtain a uniform depth of cultivation in either a pulling or pushing motion or both.

The depth of out can be varied at will by changing the tilt of the cultivator by raising or lowering the operators end of the handle. Generally, when the cultivator is pushed a somewhat higher. handle position isrequired-thanin pulling,

for the same depth of cut. This, .howevenwill be almost automatically compensated'ior by;th.e operator, because the tendency in pulling the cultivator will be to .bear'down; whereas, in pushing the cultivator the tendency willbe to elevate the handle. The depth of cut is obviously also controlled by the pressure exerted by theioperator, but ordinarily very little pressure is :neededto secure a substantial out. In fact, in :open soils so little pressure is needed-that asufiicientdepth of out can be obtained by operatingthe cultivator with one hand, holding the end of the handle. gradually increasing the downward'pressure with each successive pull and push ofthe device and by regulating the tilt of the handle, thesoil can be fined satisfactorily to a depth :necessary for deep plantings. The device may also be used for the original preparation and fining of soil where a plow or harrow or both are not available.

Where the cultivator is drawn or pushed forward, depth control may be effected by adjusting the position or the tang by which the. cultivator is attached to the source of locomotion. In such event, the cultivator will not be given a reciprocatory pushing and pulling motion and the downward curving of the blade is to the'edge22 is not necessary or is it necessary to curve the'blade M at all-it may be inclined to a lesser angle than the blade I, may be horizontally'disposed or may be slightly upwardly inclined from the horizontal and in the direction of travel.

Another optional feature which maybe provided in the cultivator where it is desired to use it to fine surface clods, isto provide the sharpened edges 23, 24, 25, and 2B which may be brought down upon the clcds in an up and down'chopping motion. Also, for removing weeds very close to plants, the cultivator in such a vertical position may be placed around the plant with the plant extending through one of the appropriate openings between the blades 5 and Her 6 and liand a downward and sidewise movement imparted thereto, effective for cutting off the weed without injuring the plant. Where soil'is to be transferred as in billing, the device may be inverted from its usual cultivation position as shown in Figure l, and the broad, flat top 2 maybe used as a conventional hoe-to pull the soil intothe desired position.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the same is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a cultivator which is efiective for soil cultivation when pushed or pulled, a pair of substantially horizontally disposed soil working blades, one disposed in spaced relationship to the rear of the other, a leading cutting edge on each of said blades, a downwardly inclined surface of each of said blades terminating in the leading cutting edge of each, said inclined surfaces being opposed with one being inclined forwardly and the other inclined rearwardly of the cultivator, whereby when said cultivator is either pushed or pulled, the leading edge of one blade will effect a digging action and the spaced opposed surface of the other blade will retard and control the digging action.

2. In a cultivator, an open framed member having a substantially horizontally extending, digging blade inclined forwardly and downwardly in the direction of travel thereof, a second open framed member disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the first member to the rear thereof along said direction of travel, and a substantially horizontally extending soil working and controlling blade formin part of said second member, said soilworking and controlling blade having a forwardly and downwardly inclined portion and a rearward and downwardly inclined portion in said direction of travel, whereby when said cultivator is either pushed or pulled, the leadin edge of one blade will effect a digging action and the spaced oppositely inclined surface of the other blade will retard and control the digging action.

3. In a cultivator, a top member, a plurality of substantially horizontally disposed soil Working blades attached to said top in spaced relationship to each other along one direction of motion of said blades in cultivation, one of said blades having a forwardly and downwardly inclined surface in said direction of motion to impart a digging tendency to said blade, the second of said blades disposed to the rear of the first blade having a forwardly and downwardly inclined surface in said direction of motion lesser than the downward angle of inclination of the first blade to control the depth of cut by the first blade by impeding downward movement thereof, said second blade also having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined surface in said direction of motion to impart a digging tendency to said second blade when said cultivator is moved in a direction 010- posed to said direction of motion, said inclined surface of the first blade controlling the depth of cut by the second blade by impeding downward movement of the second blade during such opposed motion of the cultivator.

4. In a cultivator, two substantially horizontally disposed soil working blades, one of said blades being inclined forwardly and downwardly along one direction of travel of said cultivator and the other of said blades being arcuate in a downward direction and having a forwardly inclined and a rearwardly inclined surface for soil engagement, means connecting said blades in spaced relationship along said direction of travel, whereby the cultivator may be operated along said direction of travel or opposed thereto with depth control of the leading blade efiected by an inclined surface of the trailing blade.

5. In a cultivator, a substantially flat, plane top, a front pair of vertically disposed cutting blades depending from the top, a substantially horizontally disposed cutting blade joining the lower extremities of the vertical blades, a forwardly and downwardly inclined surface on the horizontal blade terminating in a sharp cutting edge, teeth on said blade extending in generally the same plane as the plane of said inclined surface, a rear pair of vertically disposed cutting blades depending from the top and spaced both laterally and longitudinally from the front pair of blades, a substantially horizontally disposed cutting blade joining the lower extremities of the rear pair of blades, said last named horizontally disposed blade being curved in both directions and terminating in leading cutting edges having trailing inclined surfaces, teeth on said arcuate blade extending generally in the same direction as those on the front horizontal blade, sharpened cuttin edges on each of said vertically disposed blades extending a substantial distance above said horizontally disposed blades, whereby the cultivator may be pushed or pulled and soil fining will result from severance of the soil by the leading cutting edge of the leading horizontal cutting blade and the sharpened edges of the spaced vertical blades and rupture thereof by the trailing horizontal blade and visible certainty of the position of the cuttin parts relative to the plants will be available through the vertically disposed members.

LEVI B. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 397,735 Mansfield Feb. 12, 1889 1,239,316 Svendsen Sept. 4, 1917 1,331,734 .Wilson Feb. 24, 1920 1,594,984 Stafford Aug. 3, 1926 1,722,293 Hoffman July 30, 1929 2,037,489 Nedbal Apr. 14, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,556 Great Britain May 19, 1904 269,269 Germany Jan. 16, 1914 

